Hungary opens stands, fans forget restrictions
nNEW DELHI: Match organisers in Hungary were obliged to keep three seats empty between each occupied seat and no fan was supposed to sit directly behind or in front of another. There were temperature checks outside the stadium and it was mandatory for everyone to wear a mask. Players and essential personnel on or near the field during matches were supposed to have tested negative for Covid-19 recently.
But the purpose of all those restrictions was defeated when 10,000 fans, who were allowed into the 65,000-seater Puskás Arena for the Hungarian Cup final between Budapest Honved and underdogs Mezokovesdzsory, according to The Guardian, ignored their ticket numbers to gather behind the two goals.
Budapest Honved players celebrated winning the Cup final in front of a mass of fans who ignored social distancing. Honved’s Bosnian midfielder Djordje Kamber, who clinched the 2-1 victory over Mezokovesd-zsory, was seen with a megaphone leading the celebrations in front of the packed section of the stands behind the goal.
Till Wednesday, Hungary had 3,931 active Covid-19 cases with 534 deaths. Football in Hungary resumed last month after being suspended due to the pandemic.
“Although other large public gatherings are still banned, fans have been allowed into stadiums for football games since the weekend, with a number of league games going ahead in front of small crowds prior to Wednesday’s cup final,” The Guardian reported of the first big football match in Europe which was played in front of spectators since a suspension imposed on sporting activities around the world in March.
“Even though only one eighth of the stadium was full, the atmosphere was brilliant,” Márton Réti, a 38-year-old Honvéd fan who attended the game told The Guardian. “I’ve never been served a beer in a big stadium so quickly before,” he said.
The new Puskás Arena, which was supposed to host some Euro 2020 matches this month, was completed last year.
Europe’s big leagues are taking baby steps back to normalcy with Germany’s Bundesliga the first to restart its unfinished season behind closed doors. The La Liga, the Serie A and the Premier League are scheduled to follow with only the Italian league thinking to allowing fans back soon.